The Opposition is saying the Home Affairs Minister lied when he gave an assurance that the Brigadier and his top officials had been given security clearance before being promoted, but the government is vehemently denying this.
The clash arose after documents were published on an online portal showing a confidential request by the Malta Security Service, which gives the clearance, for financial information from banks. This was “part of a screening process of persons with access to classified information”.
This request was made in February. Brigadier Jeffrey Curmi and his deputy Mark Mallia were promoted last December.
The Nationalist Party says this shows the security service was still requesting information to process the security clearance after the promotions were given. Addressing a press conference, PN deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami said the published documents “proved [Home Affairs] Minister Manuel Mallia lied”.
“Last September the minister told Times of Malta that the army officers who got four promotions in a row under Labour were granted security clearance by the security service before receiving promotions,” he said. “It is now clear this was not the case.”
According to a European directive, for security clearance to access classified confidential EU information – or above, such as secret and top secret documents – an individual’s financial background may be considered relevant during the security investigation.
Dr Fenech Adami said that while the PN remained critical of the way the government was turning the army into “a Labour party club”, it had now turned out that Dr Mallia was choosing to be untruthful to justify his partisan promotion exercise.
The government immediately denied the accusation, reiterating that the people mentioned by the PN had already been given all the necessary security clearance by August 2013, before their promotions. It also accused the Opposition of being irresponsible.
It seems the government and the Opposition are speaking about different levels of security clearance
The government said in the case of Brigadier Curmi, security clearance had been obtained in 2008.
The Home Affairs Ministry said both Dr Fenech Adami and home affairs spokesman Jason Azzopardi should know that in 2007, when the previous administration had given promotions to various colonels, the security clearance to access top secret documents was only given four or five years after they were promoted.
Asked why the security service was still conducting due diligence in February despite Dr Mallia’s earlier assurances that the officials had received security clearance, the ministry said that to access top secret EU documents, another level of clearance was required.
“Such certification is in the process of being issued. The officials in question were not asked, or required, to handle top secret documents since taking office,” the ministry spokeswoman said when contacted.
Sources close to the army yesterday also played down the issue saying that security clearance had different levels and both the government and the opposition were interpreting the issue differently.
“It seems the government and the Opposition are speaking about different levels of security clearance. It might be that both sides are right in their interpretation,” one source said.